Works by 31 young emerging artists, graduates of the Royal Drawing School founded in London by His Majesty the King with artist Catherine Goodman CBE LVO, will go on show in the School’s Shoreditch gallery. The exhibition opens on 4th December and runs until 19th December 2024.
The winner of the Christie’s Award, selected from amongst the 31 artists, will be announced at a ceremony for the opening of the exhibition on Tuesday 3rd December.
The Drawing Year 2024 End of Year Exhibition is a showcase of the work by the artists who have completed their one-year postgraduate-level programme at the School. All the works are for sale at prices starting from £100.
The Royal Drawing School is unique in its scope. It is an independent, artist-led, not-for-profit institution bringing world-leading skills-based drawing education to artists and creatives everywhere. The programmes include this postgraduate-level course, an ambitious and affordable public programme, and classes for young artists aged 10-18 years in its Shoreditch studios, outdoors, in galleries and online.
The Drawing Year is the only full-scholarship postgraduate-level course dedicated to drawing from observation in the UK. The course explores the full potential of each student, with no fees, a free studio space and London living grants to ensure the course is open to everyone, regardless of background or circumstance. Since its inception in 2000 more than 550 people have completed this dedicated and intensive year of skills-based drawing.
Past students have won high-profile awards, including the John Moores Painting Prize, BP Portrait Award prizes, Jerwood Drawing Prize, The Ondaatje Prize for Portraiture and Sky Portrait Artists of the Year, as well as being frequently exhibited in the Bloomberg New Contemporaries, Whitechapel Open, Royal Academy Summer Show, Threadneedle Prize, Frieze, the Liverpool Biennial, the Wellcome Collection, the Royal Collection, the National Portrait Gallery, and The British Council.
The Drawing Year 2024 End of Year Exhibition includes over 400 works and provides a snapshot of the latest developments in drawing techniques incorporating a wide range of materials and influences. It is free to the public and takes place in the spacious ground-floor galleries of the Royal Drawing School in Shoreditch, East London. This is an opportunity to see and buy work at an early stage in the careers of young artists, with prices starting at £100.
The graduating students come from a variety of backgrounds, creative disciplines and education levels. The 2024 graduating artists showing their work are: Zoe Andrews, Bek Ashton, Ikesha Avo, Arthur B. Boothby, Akilah Chambers, Natalie Charles, Thomas Cubitt, Samuel Donagh, Maj Lisa Dörig, Myrtle Glanville, Clover Godsal, Heera Gul, Isaac Heard, Phoebe Howard, Angus Macdonald, Paul Majek, Nancy Martin, Esme McMillan-Scott, George Meadows, Keziah Mornin, Carlos Pancorbo, William Powers, Anna Redwood, Jack Shearing, Tobias Tatham, Rosie Tuff, Daniel Turner, Roman Vaughan-Williams, Vito Walker, Rebecca Willing and Madeleine Wood.
In his foreword to Ways of Drawing published by the Royal Drawing School in 2019, HRH The (then) Prince of Wales, Royal Founding Patron of the Royal Drawing School wrote:
It is my firm belief that drawing is one of the most direct ways of engaging with the world and that using the most limited of means can lead to the most beautiful results. Furthermore, I am certain that drawing from observation is a central element of success across a broad scope of practice – from architecture, design, fashion and engineering, to film, animation and the wider creative industries.
School.
Catherine Goodman, Founding Artistic Director of the Royal Drawing School, said:
Through more than two decades of development of the Royal Drawing School we have seen a revolution in appreciation and understanding of the importance of drawing from life as a fundamental element of an artist’s practice. As we move towards our 25th anniversary next year, we will be celebrating the achievements of not just the talented young artists on show this year, but the work of more than 550 alumni of The Drawing Year, who have experienced the unique teaching experience of the School.
A curated selection of the works in the exhibition will go on show in a special preview at Christie’s from 13th – 17th November offering the opportunity to purchase works ahead of its presentation at the Royal Drawing School.
Anthea Peers, President of Christie’s EMEA, said:
Investing in future talent is central to our business, and we are delighted to be supporting this award for the second year. This prize is an ideal platform to celebrate the students from the Royal Drawing School’s full-scholarship programme, The Drawing Year. We are immensely proud to contribute to the Royal Drawing School’s mission of providing exceptional observational drawing education to all, regardless of background or circumstance. The free, year-long postgraduate-level programme is an inspiring offering within the UK’s vibrant art education landscape, and we hope this award further enhances the incredible opportunities it provides.
The Drawing Year 2024 End of Year Exhibition, 4th – 19th December 2024 The Royal Drawing School
Admission free Opening hours: Monday to Friday 9am – 7pm, Saturdays 10am – 4pm
Works from the exhibition can also be purchased online from 3rd December onwards at: royaldrawingschool.org
The exhibition is supported by The Linder Foundation.
